Bossy Pants Humming Bird - OT
 

It's that time of year again! The little humming birds are out, and
thick......this (Houston) is one of their last stops before taking
their long journey across the Gulf of Mexico. I was sitting out back
the other morning having my early morning cup-a-joe and a humming bird
whizzed right past my head. I quickly dashed into the house and dug
out a feeder. Filled it up with extra sweet nectar and hung it out
back near the patio. In no time at all, there were about 6 birds
buzzing around it. Everyone is hungry, but it seems that only one is
actually allowed to eat. He's a gorgeous green bodied bird with a
white collar and a red throat, but he's such a little bossy pants. He
runs everyone else off. We finally got another feeder and hung it out
front. Much to our amazement, bossy pants is now guarding both
feeders by flying back and forth over our roof top.

I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advice would be more than
welcome.

-bonbon

Bossy Pants Humming Bird - OT
 

bonbon wrote in
:

It's that time of year again! The little humming birds are out, and
thick......this (Houston) is one of their last stops before taking
their long journey across the Gulf of Mexico. I was sitting out back
the other morning having my early morning cup-a-joe and a humming bird
whizzed right past my head. I quickly dashed into the house and dug
out a feeder. Filled it up with extra sweet nectar and hung it out
back near the patio. In no time at all, there were about 6 birds
buzzing around it. Everyone is hungry, but it seems that only one is
actually allowed to eat. He's a gorgeous green bodied bird with a
white collar and a red throat, but he's such a little bossy pants. He
runs everyone else off. We finally got another feeder and hung it out
front. Much to our amazement, bossy pants is now guarding both
feeders by flying back and forth over our roof top.

I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advice would be more than
welcome.

-bonbon


Maybe a third feeder, so he can't possibly be in three places at once and
the other birds will get a chance to feed when he's guarding one of the
other two?

Bobble

Bossy Pants Humming Bird - OT
 

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:38:00 +0000, bonbon wrote:

It's that time of year again! The little humming birds are out, and
thick......this (Houston) is one of their last stops before taking
their long journey across the Gulf of Mexico. I was sitting out back
the other morning having my early morning cup-a-joe and a humming bird
whizzed right past my head. I quickly dashed into the house and dug
out a feeder. Filled it up with extra sweet nectar and hung it out
back near the patio. In no time at all, there were about 6 birds
buzzing around it. Everyone is hungry, but it seems that only one is
actually allowed to eat. He's a gorgeous green bodied bird with a
white collar and a red throat, but he's such a little bossy pants. He
runs everyone else off. We finally got another feeder and hung it out
front. Much to our amazement, bossy pants is now guarding both
feeders by flying back and forth over our roof top.

I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advice would be more than
welcome.


Male Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are territorial, but I wouldn't expect
much territorial activity during migration. I suspect he is a local
resident, though maybe a temporary one. If you want him to leave one
feeder alone, you will have to put it somewhere outside his territory. I
have no idea other than trial and error for finding out what its limits
are.

I have only one active feeder - just outside a kitchen window that has an
inside shelf for the cats, and while I see territorial activity, it's
never as strong as you describe.


--
T.E.D. )

Bossy Pants Humming Bird - OT
 

On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 17:19:50 +0200 (CEST), bobblespin
wrote:

bonbon wrote in


I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advice would be more than
welcome.

-bonbon


Maybe a third feeder, so he can't possibly be in three places at once and
the other birds will get a chance to feed when he's guarding one of the
other two?

Bobble

Thanks for replying Bobble. Looks like at least one more feeder is
the only answer.

-bonbon

Bossy Pants Humming Bird - OT
 

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:20:16 -0500, Ted Davis wrote:

On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:38:00 +0000, bonbon wrote:


I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advice would be more than
welcome.


Male Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are territorial, but I wouldn't expect
much territorial activity during migration. I suspect he is a local
resident, though maybe a temporary one. If you want him to leave one
feeder alone, you will have to put it somewhere outside his territory. I
have no idea other than trial and error for finding out what its limits
are.

I have only one active feeder - just outside a kitchen window that has an
inside shelf for the cats, and while I see territorial activity, it's
never as strong as you describe.

Bossy Pants' territory seems to be pretty big. I guess I'll go talk
to a few of our neighbors and encourage them to all hang feeders also.
Thanks for your reply and advice.

-bonbon

Bossy Pants Humming Bird - OT
 

"bonbon" wrote in message
...
It's that time of year again! The little humming birds are out, and
thick......this (Houston) is one of their last stops before taking
their long journey across the Gulf of Mexico. I was sitting out back
the other morning having my early morning cup-a-joe and a humming bird
whizzed right past my head. I quickly dashed into the house and dug
out a feeder. Filled it up with extra sweet nectar and hung it out
back near the patio. In no time at all, there were about 6 birds
buzzing around it. Everyone is hungry, but it seems that only one is
actually allowed to eat. He's a gorgeous green bodied bird with a
white collar and a red throat, but he's such a little bossy pants. He
runs everyone else off. We finally got another feeder and hung it out
front. Much to our amazement, bossy pants is now guarding both
feeders by flying back and forth over our roof top.

I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advice would be more than
welcome.

-bonbon

They will usually go for anything red. They used to love and guard our
garage door pull handle. Maybe hang a few red rubber balls around as decoys
for him.

He will eventually get tired.

Love ours and we get to enjoy them year round. But we will get more as it
cools off up north.

Jo

Bossy Pants Humming Bird - OT
 

"bonbon" wrote in message
...
It's that time of year again! The little humming birds are out, and
thick......this (Houston) is one of their last stops before taking
their long journey across the Gulf of Mexico. I was sitting out back
the other morning having my early morning cup-a-joe and a humming bird
whizzed right past my head. I quickly dashed into the house and dug
out a feeder. Filled it up with extra sweet nectar and hung it out
back near the patio. In no time at all, there were about 6 birds
buzzing around it. Everyone is hungry, but it seems that only one is
actually allowed to eat. He's a gorgeous green bodied bird with a
white collar and a red throat, but he's such a little bossy pants. He
runs everyone else off. We finally got another feeder and hung it out
front. Much to our amazement, bossy pants is now guarding both
feeders by flying back and forth over our roof top.

I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advice would be more than
welcome.

-bonbon


Duck!! It's amazing how much aggression Nature seems to pack into the
tiniest bodies. ;)

Would it be feasible to hang up some more feeders? He can only eat from one
at once.